Employment 23 January 2026 - 20 March 2026

Barrett Business Services Stock Rose Friday as Market Waits on Jobs Data
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Barrett Business Services Stock Rose Friday as Market Waits on Jobs Data

Barrett Business Services ended Friday at $32.54, up 1.31%. The stock finished the shortened U.S. trading week about 3.2% above its May 22 close, getting a boost ahead of the company’s June 5 dividend. Around 340,000 shares traded, more than recent daily volume in the same price table. The next regular session for the stock is set for Monday. Nasdaq holds its standard trading hours from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern time on weekdays. The exchange was shut May 25 for Memorial Day, so there were just four trading days for investors last week.
May 31, 2026
HSBC Share Price Rebounds After 20,000 Job-Cut Report, but AI Push and Middle East Risks Loom
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HSBC Share Price Rebounds After 20,000 Job-Cut Report, but AI Push and Middle East Risks Loom

HSBC Holdings shares paused their slide Friday, recovering roughly 1% to 1,183.2 pence by the morning, after Thursday's 3.1% tumble. Investors were still digesting a report that the bank may axe up to 20,000 jobs as part of a stepped-up AI drive. The timing is crucial: HSBC’s management is under pressure to show shareholders that its restructuring will boost returns without exposing the bank to fresh risks. After topping 2025 profit expectations and upping its profitability target last month, HSBC faces scrutiny from investors. The question now is whether the bank’s cost-saving push—leaning on AI, shorthand for task-automating software—can counter a tougher market environment.
March 20, 2026
Primark Raises Pay to £13 for Great Britain Staff, Expands Repair Service as Retail Wage Race Intensifies
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Primark Raises Pay to £13 for Great Britain Staff, Expands Repair Service as Retail Wage Race Intensifies

Primark says over 27,000 retail employees across Great Britain will see their hourly rate bumped up to at least 13 pounds starting April 1. In London, the base jumps to 13.71 pounds an hour. The company has also expanded its clothing-repair pilot, now running in three shops. Timing is key here. With the new National Living Wage for workers 21 and over set at 12.71 pounds an hour from April 1, British retailers are already stepping up pay. Tesco on Wednesday announced a raise to 13.28 pounds for store and online fulfilment workers, effective March 29. Aldi, for its part, said last month it plans to pay at least 13.50 pounds an hour outside London starting in April.
March 18, 2026
Amazon layoffs hit robotics unit as fresh job cuts land in warehouse automation
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Amazon layoffs hit robotics unit as fresh job cuts land in warehouse automation

Amazon.com, Inc trimmed headcount in its robotics division this week, confirming staff cuts that impacted at least 100 corporate roles, according to two sources with knowledge of the situation. The layoffs landed in a team responsible for developing warehouse automation technology for the company’s logistics operations. Amazon continues to shrink its corporate workforce, with new cuts following previous layoffs, despite the company’s heavier reliance on automation to speed up and reduce the cost of moving goods. For investors, this is one more sign of just how deep CEO Andy Jassy’s drive for efficiency goes—and which “strategic” bets remain on the table.
March 5, 2026
Morgan Stanley layoffs: Wall Street bank cuts 2,500 jobs across all divisions
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Morgan Stanley layoffs: Wall Street bank cuts 2,500 jobs across all divisions

Morgan Stanley has cut 2,500 jobs throughout its divisions, according to the Wall Street Journal, which cited sources with knowledge of the situation. The bank hasn’t responded to a Reuters request for comment, and Reuters said it was unable to confirm the Journal’s report. The Journal reports Morgan Stanley has cut around 3% of its 83,000 employees, most of those layoffs hitting on Wednesday after starting last week. The staff reductions target private bankers, back-office support, and certain mortgage roles in wealth management. According to the article, shifting business needs, changing locations, and employee performance all played a part.
March 5, 2026
ADP jobs report: U.S. private payrolls rise 63,000 in February as job-switch pay edge hits record low
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ADP jobs report: U.S. private payrolls rise 63,000 in February as job-switch pay edge hits record low

U.S. private sector payrolls climbed by 63,000 in February, marking the strongest monthly jump since July, according to Wednesday’s ADP National Employment Report. January figures, though, were revised lower—down to 11,000 from an initial 22,000. Economists surveyed by Reuters had been looking for a 50,000-job gain last month. It’s a tough spot for the Federal Reserve. The next policy meeting lands March 17-18, with rates stuck at 3.50%-3.75%. Now, officials have to contend with a new oil-driven inflation threat, just as hiring momentum has faded. “It will feed into headline inflation,” Fed Governor Stephen Miran acknowledged, but he pushed back on broader concerns: “evidence that it feeds into core inflation … is quite limited.”
March 4, 2026
Ocado job cuts: 1,000 roles to go in £150m shake-up as shares slide
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Ocado job cuts: 1,000 roles to go in £150m shake-up as shares slide

Ocado Group plans to eliminate around 1,000 positions—just under 5% of its staff worldwide—as the company looks to rein in expenses and stabilize cash flow. The company’s proposal comes as it tries to persuade retailers to embrace its large, robot-operated grocery warehouses. But the strategy has hit turbulence—major North American partners have pulled the plug on multiple locations, raising fresh questions about the pace of growth.
February 26, 2026
UK PMI hits a 22-month high in February — but job cuts won’t stop
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UK PMI hits a 22-month high in February — but job cuts won’t stop

Britain’s private sector picked up speed in February, hitting its quickest growth in nearly two years, according to a flash business survey out Friday. Despite that momentum, firms kept trimming jobs. The data points to the economy regaining some ground early in 2026 after stumbling late last year, and the focus stays fixed on whether the Bank of England might move to cut borrowing costs soon.
February 20, 2026
Amazon braces for another round of layoffs as thousands more corporate jobs face cuts next week
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Amazon braces for another round of layoffs as thousands more corporate jobs face cuts next week

Amazon is planning a second round of corporate job cuts next week as part of a push to trim about 30,000 white-collar roles, according to two people familiar with the matter. The layoffs could start as early as Tuesday, Jan. 27.https://www.reuters.com/business/world-at-work/amazon-plans-thousands-more-corporate-job-cuts-next-week-sources-say-2026-01-22/?utm_source=chatgpt.com The timing is tight. Workers hit in October were kept on the payroll for 90 days while they applied for other roles inside the company, and that period expires on Monday.
January 23, 2026
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